Hinges are used on motor vehicle doors to allow the door to pivot with respect to a main body of the motor vehicle, allowing ingress and egress of passengers and objects to and from the interior of the motor vehicle. Construction of such hinges normally includes a door half or strap which is bolted to a motor vehicle door, and a body half or strap which is bolted to the structural frame or main body of a motor vehicle. The door half is pivotable with respect to the body half, and may have a profile on one edge, often with a series of detents. One example of such a hinge assembly includes a relatively large torsion bar or Z-spring which can be mounted on the body half. The Z-spring typically has a main body section providing a primary axis about which a flange of the spring can flex. Ordinarily the flange extends toward the profile. A roller is mounted, for example, over the Z-spring such that when the body half is assembled to the door half the roller is biased by the Z-spring into engagement with the profile. Opening a door causes the door half to rotate, partially overcoming the force of the Z-spring. The profile typically does not form an arc of uniform length from the main axis of the Z-spring (especially at the detents). Therefore, as the door half pivots, the Z-spring flange yields slightly in a arcuate motion around its main axis to accommodate the irregular distance between the main axis and the profile. A problem with this kind of design is that the relatively large size of the Z-spring makes it difficult to weld or bolt the door and body halves of the hinge assembly to the corresponding door and main body. It would be highly desirable to provide a hinge assembly which allows for easy welding of the door half and the body half.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge assembly which is easy to assemble and particularly having improved attachment characteristics. It is another object of the present invention to provide a hinge assembly of simple construction having a doors-off feature and an integral check. It is yet another related object of the present invention to provide a hinge assembly that is highly reliable in operation.